A quick google search will have you know that our waste production is a leading contributor to the Greenhouse Effect, vegetation damage, water pollution and we’ve all seen that video of the turtle with a straw up it’s nose. Whilst we all do our best with recycling and using less plastic bags, it doesn't seem to quite be enough to undo the damage. Introducing Zero Waste Life; a movement that’s quickly building momentum in the US and making waves in all kinds of industries.

A Zero Waste Life is reducing the amount of trash you send to landfill down to nothing. I’m talking about not even having a trash can in your home... But goes beyond that; it's a lifestyle built around understanding your trash contribution to the planet, and choosing to reduce it as much as you can. If we can live completely trash free, then we won’t need to recycle, we won’t need to have any landfills and no more plastic bags in the ocean.

Beatrice Johnson and Lauren Singer set this movement off with their blogs, “Zero Waste Home” and “Trash is For Tossers”, on how to lead a trash-free life. But how do you go about your daily life without producing any trash? No plastic bags, no packaging, disposable cups or even the sticky labels on fruit… Is it even possible?

Here’s a list of simple hacks to Zero-Waste living:

1. Canvas is the new blackFirst thing's first; if you want to save the planet, you'll need a canvas bag. No superhero carries around a plastic 5p Tesco bag.

2. Use common senseYou don't need a bag for absolutely everything you purchase. Unless you’re ordering for 12 people, the chances are that your takeaway lunch could easily be carried by these nifty things called your arms, or you could use your new canvas bag.

Here at Wistla I ran a small test to see how much 8 people consumed during lunch over 5 days… The result? 48 bags and an unhealthy addiction to Pod. That's 48 bags that have gone to waste that could have been unused.

3. Shop package-freeYes, that is a thing and there’s an overwhelming amount of places where you can get produce completely package-free. Farmer’s Markets are the easiest place to go and most cities have package-free stores, such as Whole Foods and As Nature Intended.

4. Wear your trashJust kidding, please don't literally wear your trash...Leave it to the pros. Freitag, H&M, Patagonia, Nike, Zara, New Balance, People Tree, the list goes one. Adidas have recently started making shoes that uses plastic bottles found in the ocean. They save about 11 plastic bottles per shoe, a pretty great solution to the increasing problem.

5. Get cheaper coffeeGet yourself a reusable cup and the baristas will happily fill it up. Starbucks will even give you 25p off your coffee if you do. Winning.

6. Recycle, the old school wayGet creative with reusing your long-lasting products. Warning: this one is for the serious DIY/Planet saving earthlings out there. Turn old T-shirts into cloths to clean with, or donate them to a charity shop. Use mason jars to store leftovers, to grow some herbs or to carry around your cheaper coffee (and act smug about it).